Power-driven vehicle with loading ramp



Jam 1950 L. scHwlTzER ET AL 2,494,725

POWER-DRIVEN VEHICLE WITH LOADING RAMP Original Filed Dec. 11, 1943 2Sheets-Sheet l Lad/5 SCHW/rZE/Q Ja/z/Y Four/w.

Jan. 17, 1950 L- SCHWITZER ET AL POWER-DRIVEN VEHICLE WITH LOADING RAMPOriginal Filed Dec. 11, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIII! IN V EN TORS. L au/Javw/ 726K Jo/nv K04 fl/vzz A L W Patented Jan. 17, 1950 2,494,725POWER-DRIVEN VEHICLE WITH LOADING RAMP Louis Schwitzer and John Roland,Indianapolis,

Ind, assignors to Schwitzer-Gummins Company, Indianapolis, Ind., a.corporation Original application December 11,. 1943,. Serial No.513,853; Divided and this application April" 14, 1948, Serial No. 21,006

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a power driven vehicle such as an industrialtruck for shop use in handling and transporting materials, packages,baggage, or the likeparticularly in confined quarters, but which can beused to advantage wherever material is to be transported, referencebeinghad to our copending application, Serial Number 513,858, filedDecember 11, 1943, now Patent No; 2,443,480 granted June 15, 1948, forPower driven vehicle, of which this application is a division.

It is the object of this invention to provide the vehicle with a truckbed or trailer arranged with a load carrying platform having a tiltingsection mounted at the rear end thereof which is controllable by thedriver from a point adjacent the power unit. More particularly theloading platform of the vehicle has a forward fixed section and arearwardly disposed tilting section pivotally mounted intermediate itsends over the rear supporting axle, the chassis frame of the platformbeing underslung to permit the rear edge of the tilting section to movefrom its normal supporting position to the floor in a manner to providea loading and unloading ramp.

Another feature of the invention resides in the latching mechanism forthe tilting section for normally holding said section in horizontalalignment with the fixed section of the platform, said latchingmechanism having a control extending forwardly to a convenientlyoperable position adjacent the operators platform. Said controlmechanism is arranged. to normally latch the tilting sectioninhorizontal position while being movable by the operator at his stationon the power unit to release said section and permit it to tilt intoinclined load receiving or unloading position.

The full nature of the invention will be understoodfrom the accompanyingdrawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. l is a view showing a side elevation of the vehicle in perspective.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the power unit.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the truck platform showing a sectionthereof in loading position by dotted lines.

The industrial truck shown in the drawings includes a driving unitcomprising a single front driving or traction wheel It and a pair ofswivel caster wheels H, a drivers platform having side shields l2 and apower unit frame It mounted upon the driving wheel to embrace thedriving motor l4. Said frame is mounted to swivel within the uppervertical frame bearing I5 through which it supports the forward platformframe as to be supported thereon at its forward end,

there is a load: carryingtrailer 26; having a fulcrumed ramp sectionl'lsaid trailer being underslung on the follower wheels 22.

The supporting and protective frame for the motor comprises four equallyspaced outwardly bulging angle. bars. 23; having their upper endsinwardlyturned and. secured to a spindle extend;- ing. through. the topbearing l5: carrying the for ward. frame members I76. of the drivingplatform. At their lower ends, and angle bars are bent inwardly onopposite sides of the driving wheel IE to. form. a bearing support forthe axle 2'4 thereof. Said angle bars are so arranged. and spaced as to%completely embrace the motor M and offer protectionthereforas Well as asupport while permitting ready access to the operating mechanism; Themotor issupported upona platform 25 secured to said angle barsimmediately above the driving wheel, and around said. bars slightlybelow the motor supporting platform there is aprotecting. andstabilizing ring 26.. Said ring is. mounted to extend: outwardly fromsaid bars and be secured thereto by the flange plates 21:.

The forward endof" the trailer platform 20 is supported by the drivingplatform at a lower underslung: level; by an upwardly sloping'tongue 61hitched to the under structure thereof, said tongue extending. from alow level chassis: frame 62 which is connected at its rear end to across member 63. Said cross member carries on each end thereof anupwardly extending bracket 64 for receiving one of the trailer wheels 22in which said wheel has its axle bearing. The rear loading section 2! isdirectly supported upon a swivel mounting 65 intermediate its ends,being reenforced by the struts 66. The forward end of this section isprovided with a downwardly extending cross piece 6'! normally restingupon the chassis frame 52. Thus, section 2! may swivel about itsmounting 65 so that the rear end may be tilted downwardly to the floor,while in normal load carrying position it is in horizontal alignmentwith the forward load carrying platform section 20.

The forward end of section 2! centrally and forwardly of the cross beamBl has a latch head 68 engageable by the latch bar 69 extendinglongitudinally under the platform section 2t and slidable in suitablebearings 79 secured to the underside thereof. A spring ll surroundingthe latch rod is positioned between one of the bearings 70 and the crosspin 'i'2 so as to normally maintain said rod in latching position. Theforward end of said latch rod is adjustably connected with theconnecting rod 13 extending under the drivers platform for pivotalconnection to the crank arm 14 fulcrumed upon a stud 75 supportedthereunder. The free end of the crank arm is pivotally connected to theoperating rod 76 which extends upwardly through the drivers platform andis provided with a handle at the upper end thereof for convenientmanipulation.

By means of this arrangement the operator by pulling upwardly on thehandle 76 may unlatch the rear loading section 2! permitting it to tiltdownwardly to the floor as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6 forconvenient loading or unloading of heavy material. Thereafter saidplatform 2! is swung to its horizontal position wherein it is latched byaction of the spring l i.

From the foregoing description it may be noted that the operation of thetruck permits of con venient loading Of material onto the platforms 20and 2! through the manipulation of the section 2|.

While the invention has been particularly described as applied to anindustrial truck, it is evident that it is also applicable to any powerdriven vehicle irrespective of its purpose Or use.

The invention claimed is:

1. A truck having a chassis, supporting wheels therefor, a fixedplatform section carried at one end of said chassis, a tiltable loadingplatform section carried at the other end of said chassis, said sectionsnormally lying in the same plane to provide a trucking platform, a latchmounted on the underside of said tilting section, and a latching memberextending under said fixed section and projecting upwardly therefromnormally in latching engagement to maintain said tiltable section inload carrying position and manually releasable to disengage said sectionto permit it to tilt to loading and unloading position.

2. A truck having a chassis, a driving and steering unit thereformounted forwardly thereof, said unit including a motor driven tractionwheel, an operators platform and a pair of swivel casters, a trailerhaving a platform carrying frame connected at one end to said chassisand supported at the other end by a pair Of rear supporting wheels, afixed platform section mounted on the forward end of said frame, atiltable platform section pivotally mounted on the rear end thereof,means for releasably supporting the forward end of said frame on saidunit, a latch for normally latching said tiltable section in horizontalload carrying position, and means extending above said operatorsplatform operable to release said latch for permitting said tiltablesection to tilt downwardly into loading and unloading position.

3. A truck having a chassis, a driving and steering unit thereformounted forwardly thereof, said unit including a motor driven tractionwheel, an operators platform and a pair of swivel casters, a trailerhaving a platform carrying frame extending in a plane below saidoperators platform and provided with an upwardly and forwardly extending tongue connected to the underside of said platform forwardly of saidcasters, a pair of rear supporting wheels for said frame, means forsupporting the rear end of said frame below the axis of said supportingwheels, a fixed platform section mounted forwardly of said frame, atiltable platform section pivotally mounted at the rear of said frame,said tiltable section being normally supported adjacent the fixedsection and in alignment therewith and being tiltable to extenddownwardly and rearwardly therefrom, a latch extending under the forwardsection into latching engagement with the forward edge of the tiltablesection for normally retaining said tilting section in horizontal loadcarrying position, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on saidoperators platform having one arm thereof connected to said latch bar,an operating rod connected with the other arm of said bell crank leverextending upwardly therefrom adjacent the driving and steering unit, anda biasing spring mounted on said latch operable to normally maintain itin latching position while permitting it to be disengaged from saidtiltable section for releasing it to tilt downwardly into loading andunloading position.

LOUIS SCHWITZER. JOHN ROLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,352,898 Houck Sept. 14, 19201,870,573 Kuchar Aug. 9, 1932 1,924,797 Mitchell Aug. 29, 1933 1,926,238Kuester Sept. 12, 1983 2,370,866 Lewis Mar. 6, 194-5 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 304,002 Great Britain Jan. 17, 1929 477,423 GreatBritain Dec. 30, 1937 362,598 Italy Aug. 30, 1938

